June : Transportation Components: safe, reliable and consistent supply - OEM aftermarket parts make more ‘cents’ on the road

The heavy
transportation sector is the veritable lifeblood of South Africa's economy,
with goods transported daily by thousands of trucking fleets on the country's
roads. It is therefore the reliability and safety of these heavy transport
vehicles upon which our nation's future economic growth is predicated.
Essential to this reliability and safety is the quality of the aftermarket
components with which these vehicles are fitted.

A leading
supplier of premier OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) aftermarket
components to the heavy transport sector for the past 20 years,
Johannesburg-based Transportation Components emphasises the importance of
quality, safety and consistency of supply at all times.

"From the
outset in 1998, we have never sacrificed quality for price. When we look at a
new product to add to our range, there are three things we consider: safety,
reliability and if there is a consistent supply from the OEM," explains
Transportation Components Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Andre Gouws.

The business
features a complete ‘parts portfolio' offering in each of these focus areas,
with products which are also considered the ‘gold standard' in their sectors.

To ensure
optimal availability and the shortest possible lead-times, Transportation
Components has developed a comprehensive footprint of distributors and
resellers throughout South Africa.

"Even away
from the urban centres, wherever there is an aftermarket component requirement,
we have someone who can order the part and have it delivered to the customer
within 24 hours," asserts Gouws.

To ensure
consistent quality, Transportation Components' international OEMs such as Borg
Warner, SEM Lastik and Duroline carry out rigorous and routine quality testing,
and are ISO-rated. In line with this quality ethos, Transportation Components
also has an in-house testing facility and tests components on a regular basis.

However, the
heavy transportation industry is very competitive and fleet procurement
departments are under fierce pressure to save costs. Nevertheless, Gouws points
out that when buying a part for a couple of thousand rand, for a vehicle
costing R1.8 million, cost-saving should not be the sole consideration.

He explains:
"In buying the cheapest component possible, fleet owners need to be aware
that they well could be sacrificing quality for price. This not only results in
a shorter product lifespan, but also a diminished interval between repairs and
costly downtime.

Inferior
quality parts fitted to heavy vehicles are a critical risk factor - as there is
the real potential of costly damage to the vehicle as a result of a component failure - or worse still,
an accident in which people are critically or fatally injured."

Gouws adds
that Transportation Components has a vital educational and awareness role to
play in this regard, within the component supply and heavy transportation
sectors.

"Fleet owners
need to be made fully aware of the quality of parts that are being fitted to
their vehicles; and that they could be paying a premium for lesser quality and
safety in the long run," he says.

Sometimes, it
is very difficult to differentiate between parts supplied by a
second-tier manufacturer from the genuine OEM component - as the second-tier
manufacturer has used an OEM part creating the mould for their
products, Gouws explains. Because the raw material used in the
manufacture of second-tier part is often inferior, that part will have a
shorter life span and may not perform as well as the original OEM part. "When
it comes to heavy vehicle brakes, for example, this is a critical
consideration," he emphasises.

The reason
that Transportation Components is able to offer original parts at competitive
prices is that they effectively shorten the supply chain between the OEMs and
the end-user. In the mainstream parts supply chain, there are a number of
separate businesses involved.

"With
Transportation Components, the difference is that we can supply directly from
premier international OEMs such as Borg Warner, Behr and Duroline; and still
retain all the original warranties and excellent after-sales support: for
example, in the expediting of warranty claims," he continues.

In addition,
Transportation Components will examine the component to determine the cause of
the failure.

"As we
are very much the ‘face' of our OEMs here in South Africa, we need to take
responsibility for sorting out any issues to the customer's satisfaction,
effectively providing our valued customers with the shortest possible route to
the OEM.

By taking
responsibility, and handling any customer queries thoroughly and diligently,
the company had been able to retain many loyal customers.

"We would
never want to be seen as simply being ‘box-droppers', as this would mean we
were not providing premier quality to our customers, which is one of our key
differentiators," he adds.

"But even
beyond quality, safety and consistency of supply, Transportation Components'
over-arching concern is ultimately to ensure the lowest possible
cost-per-kilometre for every
heavy vehicle fleet operator in South Africa," Gouws concludes.

Commercial

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